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Five Reasons Why Crysis 3 Will Top Crysis 2

It's only been a year since we were shooting up New York City and trying to repel an alien invasion in Crysis 2. Now Crytek is eager to take the wraps off its next project, the aptly titled Crysis 3. But what makes this entry in the series so different? How can it stand apart from what has come before? After a recent hands off demo, I've pinpointed five areas that I believe can make Crysis 3 a much better game than its predecessors.

1. The Return of Prophet and Psycho

How Prophet comes back to life is... unclear. The only reason, I'm told, is that "it's a good explanation about why he's back." Obviously it's not a detail that's going to be shared this soon after a reveal, but I'm willing to bet it has something to do with Prophet's long history of battling the Ceph and using the Nanosuit -- perhaps it has resurrection powers?

They've also managed to bring Psycho out of hiding, and we haven't seen him since the end of Crysis: Warhead. To be clear, I only heard Psycho in the demo. He could be a product of Prophet's imagination for all I know. And considering it's supposed to be 20 years after the events of Crysis 2, and both memorable characters don't sound any less for wear, that sounds like a viable theory.

Fishing like a boss.

2. The Compound Bow

Like Dan pointed out last week, the compound bow gives Crysis 3 a very Hunger Games vibe. And considering how many times I heard the term "you're the hunter instead of the hunted" during the demo, the bow seems to blend well into the new approach with Crysis 3.

Yes, there's still going to be cool weapons like the Typhoon, which is an automatic rifle that fires 500 rounds a second (seriously), but it's the bow that seems to be the most versatile weapon because you can equip a variety of different warheads to arrows. This will encourage more of a stealth approach to gameplay, where you hang back to assess your surroundings, mark your targets, and plan your attack -- kind of like if you're a sniper in the field. In addition, this is the first time where you'll be allowed to shoot while cloaked, helps lend to the stealth-heavy approach.

3. Animals

One of the most memorable moments in all of PC gaming has to be when we all encountered that sea turtle on the beach in the original Crysis, picked it up, and then chucked it into a pile of rocks. Oh, you didn't do that? Oh, well, never mind then.

Prophet gives us his best Katniss Everdeen impression.

For those that did, you may have noticed a severe lack of critters to hurl in Crysis 2. This looks to be alleviated in Crysis 3 with the return of animals, such as the frogs we saw hopping around in the water during the swamp level. It's small touches like these that help make it feel more like a believable location for me. Later, as we get closer to the release of Crysis 3, we'll learn about other animals and environments that will make it into this urban jungle, Crytek promises. And yes, we'll find out how far we can throw them (if at all).

4. Hacking Functionality

Looks like Crytek is taking a page from Starbreeze's book with the very Syndicate-like hacking mechanic added to Crysis 3. From an observational standpoint, they look like they behave in the same way. During our demo, Prophet got in range of an enemy turret, aimed the targeting reticle, and presto! It started opening fire on the nearby enemy Ceph.

While it was unclear exactly how Crysis 3's hacking will work, it appears it will follow Syndicate's approach: hold down a key for a few seconds while targeting a turret, door panel, switch, you name it, and it's hacked. If that type of mechanic is prevalent throughout Crysis 3, it could introduce some fun alternate pathways through the city.

Hold this for me, will ya?

5. Nano Dome

It's taken years but it looks like we finally have a videogame that will tap into the comedy goldmine that is Bio-Dome. Except this time it's called a Nano Dome, contains evil aliens, and doesn't appear to have Pauly Shore anywhere in sight.

For the fiction of Crysis 3, these domes were constructed to contain the Ceph threat and are scattered throughout the globe. Our demo took place at the Liberty Dome which has been built over the remains of New York City, giving it a very post-apocalyptic tinge. It also opens up an interesting prospect: what if we could visit other domes throughout the world? We know we'll be exploring different parts of NYC with different themes -- swamp, rainforest, grassland -- but could we also be looking at a Crysis that is a globe-traveler? We'll have to wait and see. For more information, be sure to stay tuned to the official Crysis Facebook page.

Spy Guy says: I've been trying to get my hands on North Korea's rocket program data files for years. What I wouldn't give to have a Nanosuit with cloaking technology. I'm trying to save the free world, people! As for Crysis 3, looks pretty, and the bow is a cool weapon, but does it really jive with the tech-heavy lore?